Sarasota rings in 2025 with 25th annual block party and pineapple drop

What do a hog, star, onion, orange, skim board, pineapple, anchor, conch, buzzard, stuffed opossum, olive, a red M&M, an apple and a chili pepper have in common?

It's no joke: these are all items that are dropped on New Year's Eve from various places around the world beginning at 11:59 p.m. to shoo out the old year and ring in the new.

The 25th annual Downtown Sarasota Pineapple Drop celebration began at 1 p.m. with thousands of people enjoying the closed roads, carnival rides, games and food. Local merchants set up outside service areas with chairs and tables, and there were VIP areas for a guaranteed view — with the exception of fog — of the pineapple drop and the fireworks that go off at midnight from Sarasota Bay. Several bands played in two locations including BYNGE, Gashouse Gorillas and the Daniel B. Marshall Band.

Although there is no clear history of pineapple production in Sarasota, we do, in fact, have a lighted pineapple that drops from a crane and serves as a beacon for a massive block party. 

Pineapples, when placed right side up, are a symbol of hospitality and welcoming. The area around Five Points was originally built with a pineapple theme in mind and several of the buildings have a stamped pineapple decoration embedded in the framework.

Ron Soto and Darci Jacob, president of Destination Downtown Sarasota, a collection of local businesses, and their team began the physical work of preparations some four days ahead of the event. Together with the Sarasota Police Department, which provided security, more than 30,000 guests lined the streets to usher in 2025.

With the temperature hovering around 67 degrees and the heavy dew hanging in the air, the dense fog held off for a great view of the pineapple drop, which is actually a carefully executed lowering to the ground.

Although this event began 26 years ago, 2025 marks the 25th anniversary with one missed event due to the pandemic.